Foundation
by NYPDBosco
Summary: It's the 3rd Anniversary of 91101 and some of the 55 gang are heading to the WTC site for a memorial service. Things are still tense between Bosco and Faith. How will they handle this day together?


Jimmy descended the stairs of the firehouse and made his way outside. Squinting against the sun he ran his hands over the front of his dress uniform to smooth it out. "You sure Joey's okay with being at your mom's?" He asked Kim. "He was talking about wanting to come with us."

"Yeah, he's okay. I told him it was just going to be a lot of people giving speeches." Her voice was soft and she looked at him. Her eyes were sad.

He nodded as he reached for her hand. "I still don't know if he really understands the magnitude of it all. I mean, I know he understands that Tommy is gone, but..."

She slid her fingers through his. "I'm not sure -I- even understand the magnitude of it all."

Sighing he pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her. Resting his chin on the top of her head he gazed at the tribute he'd made for their fallen co-workers three years ago. When he wasn't down at The Pile or out on a call he'd been in the firehouse putting his woodworking skills to use for something that would hang in the House for firefighters to see for years to come.

Kim closed her eyes, sighing softly. "I can't believe it's been three years. It feels like yesterday," she murmured.

Carlos climbed out of the passenger side of his roommates Explorer and brushed himself off. He walked around to the front of the vehicle tapping his hat against the palm of his free hand. "Who all was meetin' us here?"

"Sully, Bosco, Yokas...and those two." Davis nodded toward where Kim and Jimmy stood a few feet away.

A wisecrack about Kim and Lieutenant Doherty getting cozy was on the tip of Carlos's tongue, but today it didn't feel right.

He drew in a breath and glanced around, looking for his partner's car. He spotted it parked in its usual place outside the 55th Precinct House.

Following the taller man's gaze he nodded his head slightly when he saw that Sullivan had apparently all ready arrived. He then looked at his watch. "Bosco and Yokas better get here soon if we're gonna make it down to the site in time."

"Yokas is always on time," Davis informed Carlos, waving at Sully as the older officer exited the police station and headed across the street toward them.

"Morning, boys," Sully greeted them as he got closer. The normal scowl on his face was softened by the somber mood of the day.

"Hey, Sul." Davis nodded at him, then drew in a breath.

Wordlessly Sullivan reached out and straightened one of the pins on his young partner's jacket then brushed off one of the shoulders. On a day like today, when they were all being reminded of the good people who lost their lives on that fateful morning, he felt it was important to somehow let Ty know that he cared about him. So even though it was a simple gesture, it was much more than just a helping hand.

Davis met his gaze with understanding in his eyes, his face solemn. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a familiar truck pull up. A moment later he watched as Faith Yokas climbed out of the driver's seat, her face grim. She was neatly dressed in her blues, as well.

Sullivan put a smile on his face as he turned to the female officer. "It's too bad we don't wear these things for more good occasions," he said to her. "You look great, Faith."

"Thanks, Sully," she said softly, managing a small smile as she approached, glancing around to see who'd arrived already. Everyone who was supposed to be there was there. Except Bosco.

Carlos inhaled deeply. "So...should we get going?"

Kim reluctantly pulled away from Jimmy. "Yeah. We're gonna be late."

Sully looked around. "Most of us could fit in Davis' car."

"I think I'm gonna take Kim in the truck," Doherty said softly as he pointed toward the vehicle he'd driven.

Faith bit her lower lip, an unsettled feeling weighing upon her shoulders.

Nodding his head and remaining uncharacteristically quiet, Nieto made his way back to Ty's car.

Sully let out a breath. "So that looks like it leaves us four..."

A blue mustang screeched to a halt, and was slammed into park. Without turning off the engine, Bosco got out of the vehicle just enough to look over the roof of the car. His dress blues were pressed neatly, but his jacket was unbuttoned. "Geez, sorry I'm late. Traffic was..."

"Hey, Boz," Davis greeted him, nodding slightly. "We were just headin' out."

He nodded his head. "Okay. Well, I'll just meet you guys there. How 'bout by the Cortlandt Street Subway stop?"

"Sounds good."

Faith gazed at him silently for a moment. Things between them hadn't been normal in a very long time, but right now it didn't seem to matter. "Want me to come with ya?"

"Oh, no. No, that's all right," he said a little too quickly. "I'll just meet you guys there."

Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, but she simply nodded her agreement.

"Right. So I'll see you guys in a bit." He climbed back into his car and within moments was heading down the street.

"So I guess it's just us." Davis drew in a breath and headed over to his Explorer.

"Yup." Sully walked over to the passenger's side of the vehicle to see that Nieto had all ready claimed the front seat. With a shrug he moved to the back.

Faith slid into the backseat beside him, biting her lower lip.

"So..." Carlos let out a breath. "I can't say I was looking forward to this, but...I guess it's time."

"Yeah," Davis murmured, starting the engine.

Faith stared out her window. Even though it was a relatively warm day, she had goose bumps on her arms.

Faith spotted him right away as she slowed the truck on the gravel. If she damaged Fred's precious truck with flying rocks, he'd kill her. She drew in a breath as she stopped the vehicle, pulling the keys from the ignition. She remained seated in the truck for a few moments, gazing at him. He sat on the hood of his mustang, a can of beer in one hand as he stared off into the distance. Then she slowly opened the driver's side door and climbed out.

He'd heard a vehicle approaching, and sighed heavily. There was never anyone here which is one of the main reasons he'd picked this spot, and his first thought was that whoever it was would more than likely raise a stink about an NYPD officer sitting on the hood of his car in his dress blues drinking a can of beer. But that thought quickly faded because there were only two people who would come looking for him, and his mother wouldn't know where to start, so that only left...

Her footsteps were quiet as she walked to his car. Hesitating a moment, she wordlessly sat down on the hood beside him, shifting her gaze to the skyline where he was staring.

"It still doesn't look right," he whispered.

"No," she agreed softly. The bright blue sky was a chilling reminder of how similar today was to the day of the attacks.

Bosco took a long drink of his beer, draining the can, then crushed it in his hand. After tossing the can to the ground he reached for the paper grocery sack that was sitting beside him, and retrieved another beer.

She drew in a breath and let it out slowly before reaching into the bag and retrieving a beer for herself.

"I was thinking that maybe with some beers in me..." With the hand he was holding the fresh beer in he pointed toward where the Twin Towers used to stand. "I'd be able to see it how it used to be."

"I think that'd take a lot of beer," she said softly, glancing at him briefly.

"Guess I better hurry up then."

Faith peeked in the bag. "I don't think five's enough, Boz."

He turned to look at her for the first time. "In case you've forgotten, this is Manhattan. There's a liquor store or bar every twenty feet. It's some kinda city ordinance."

A faint smile touched her lips. "I haven't forgotten."

"Didn't think so." He took a drink and then stared down at the can. "So...how'd you know I'd..."

"Instinct, I guess." Faith's voice was soft. "I just figured this is where'd you be."

Closing his eyes he took a shaky breath. "I just couldn't go."

"It's okay," she whispered, turning her head to look at him. Hesitantly, she reached out and rested her hand on his shoulder.

"I was late this morning cause I...when I was gettin' dressed I started thinking, remembering." He paused and took a cautious glance toward the skyline. "It wasn't as bad this time though. It wasn't like it was before I saw O'Malley, ya know?"

She nodded slightly, waiting for him to continue.

"But the thought of just being there again, being at the site." He shook his head. "I just...my heart started racing and I could...I could see it all like it was happening again."

"That's normal," she said softly. Without thinking about it, she began to gently rub his back.

He swallowed hard. "It doesn't hardly happen anymore. Once in a while I get pretty anxious, but...I knew if I went today, and was around all those people..."

"Shh." She scooted a little closer to him, her instinct to comfort him overriding all the differences and problems that had come between them in the recent past. She slid her arms around his waist.

Bosco leaned against her. "God, Faith. I thought this was all over. The memories and the panic."

She rubbed his back in small, circular motions. "Today's hard. For everyone," she said softly, closing her eyes. "Were you having problems before today?"

"It's been quite a while," he whispered. "The last time was..."

"I know." Her voice was quiet. They hadn't talked about the day she'd been shot by Maritza Cruz and it wasn't a subject she wanted to think about right then.

"I just wanna stop thinking."

"Me too." She let out a breath and slowly pulled away from him, turning to gaze at the skyline once more.

"You got plans for the afternoon?" He asked as he too shifted his attention back to the skyline.

Faith shook her head slowly. "No. You?"

Reaching into the inside pocket of his dress jacket he pulled out two tickets. "There's a Mets game in a couple hours," he told her softly. "When I couldn't handle meeting you guys at the service I was on my way out here when I stopped to get the beer. The clerk was sellin' his tickets to the game and...well I got to thinking how most of the teams do a special tribute before the games on 9/11. So I thought..."

She glanced at him, a little surprised. "Are you asking me to..."

"Would you?" His voice was soft, his eyes pleading with her.

Faith met his eyes. "Yeah. I'd like that."

A soft sigh of relief escaped him and he nodded his head slightly. "Me too." He glanced at the can of beer in his hand then held it out and dumped the contents onto the ground. "I don't know if you know this or not, but..."

She studied him for a moment. "What?"

Biting his lip he looked up at the skyline once again. "There've been some times when I thought this...this PTSD thing was gonna consume me." He shifted his gaze to her. "Things are easier when you've got someone to talk to."

She drew in a breath and let it out slowly, turning her head to look in the direction of where the towers once stood. "Yeah," she said softly. "Boz, listen. I know things have been...difficult between us, but...I just want you to know that, I still care about you. You're still my best friend." She dropped her voice to a whisper. "And I still love you."

"Do you remember when I said you were the only one?" He questioned softly.

"Yeah." She nodded slightly.

"I meant it, Faith. You're the only one I can talk to, the only one who gets me."

Wordlessly, she slid her arm around his shoulders and rested her head against his. "When I think about that day...I remember looking for you, and not knowing where you were. If you'd been hurt or..." Her voice broke slightly and she paused to calm her emotions. "And then I saw you in the crowd, leading people to safety. And I was so grateful that you were okay. That I hadn't lost you."

He rested his hand on her knee. "I remember feelin' that kind of relief, but it wasn't until the next day...when I saw you standin' by your locker. Cause I didn't see you," he whispered, the emotion evident in his voice.

Closing her eyes, Faith pressed a soft kiss to his temple.

Bosco moved his thumb back and forth over the material of her dress slacks. "Hey Faith?"

"Yeah?"

"When the towers came down there wasn't anything left behind to rebuild with," he said softly. "But you and me...we've still got a solid foundation. So...maybe today we could start rebuilding?"

She smiled softly. "I'd like that, Boz."

"Then next year at this time we'll be able to think about two anniversaries. One that's sad and one that's a reminder of our friendship."


End file.
